Related papers: Efficient Raman amplification into the PetaWatt re…
The generation of an autoresonantly phase-locked high amplitude plasma waves to the chirped beat frequency of two driving lasers is studied in two dimensions using particle-in-cell simulations. The two-dimensional plasma and laser…
The velocity distribution of a hot ionic beam can be filtered with a narrow stimulated Raman process to prepare a colder subensemble, as substantiated in this theoretical analysis. Using two counter-propagating, far-detuned lasers, we can…
We determine the linear optical susceptibility of a radiation pulse propagating through a mixture of a gas of atoms or molecules and a plasma. For a specific range of radiation and plasma frequencies, resonant generation of volume plasmons…
10 {\mu}m lasing is studied in a compact CO2-He cell pressurized up to 15 atm when optically pumped by a ~50 mJ Fe:ZnSe laser tunable around 4.3 {\mu}m. The optimal pump wavelength and partial pressure of CO2 for generating 10 {\mu}m pulses…
We measure the emission of energetic electrons from the interaction between ultrashort laser pulses and a solid density plasma in the relativistic regime. We detect an electron beam that only appears with few-cycle pulses (< 10 fs) and…
We review recent PIC simulation results which show that double-sided irradiation of a thin over-dense plasma slab with ultra-intense laser pulses from both sides can lead to sustained comoving Poynting flux acceleration of electrons to…
Relativistic laser pulses can accelerate electrons up to energies of several GeV during the interaction with gaseous targets through the direct laser acceleration (DLA) mechanism. While the electrons are accelerated to high energies, they…
We experimentally investigate the propagation of optical pulses through a fast-light medium with competing absorption and gain. The combination of strong absorption and optical amplification in a potassium-based four-wave mixing process…
We investigate the target normal sheath acceleration of protons in thin aluminum targets irradiated at relativistic intensity by two time-separated ultrashort (35 fs) laser pulses. For identical laser pulses and target thicknesses of 3 and…
A new regime is described for Radiation Pressure Acceleration of a thin foil by an intense laser beam of above 10^20 W/cm^2. Highly monoenergetic proton beams extending to GeV energies can be produced with very high efficiency using…
In simulations of a 12.5PW laser (focused intensity I = 4x10^23W/cm^2) striking a solid aluminium target 10% of the laser energy is converted to gamma-rays. A dense electron-positron plasma is generated with a maximum density of 10^26/m^3;…
Advances in ultra-intense laser technology are enabling, for the first time, relativistic intensities at mid-infrared (mid-IR) wavelengths. Anticipating further experimental research in this domain, we present high-resolution two…
Using a kilojoule class laser, we demonstrate for the first time that high-contrast picosecond pulses are advantageous for ion acceleration. We show that a laser pulse with optimum duration and a large focal spot accelerates electrons…
We report a synergistic enhancement of betatron radiation based on the hybrid laser and plasma wakefield acceleration scheme. Quasi-phase-stable acceleration in an up-ramp plasma density first generates GeV-energy electron beams that act as…
Plasmas may be used as gain media for amplifying intense lasers, and external magnetic fields may be applied to improve the performance. For mid-infrared lasers, the requisite magnetic field is on megagauss scale, which can already be…
A Raman compression scheme suitable for x-rays, where the Langmuir wave is created by an intense beam rather than the pondermotive potential between the seed and pump pulses, is proposed. The required intensity of the seed and pump pulses…
We present a theoretical and numerical study of resonant surface-plasmon (SP) excitation driven by the beating of two co-propagating laser pulses on a smooth cylindrical plasma-vacuum interface. Analytical expressions for the SP dispersion…
Ultrafast laser pulses that are both tunable in wavelength and very short in duration are essential tools in fields ranging from biomedical imaging to ultrafast spectroscopy. While resonant dispersive-wave emission in gas-filled hollow-core…
The interaction of micro- and nano-structured target surfaces with high-power laser pulses is being widely investigated for its unprecedented absorption efficiency. We have developed vertically aligned metallic micro-pillar arrays for…
We consider a possibilty to use an echelon of mutually coherent laser pulses generated by the emerging CAN (Coherent Amplification Network) technology for direct particle acceleration in periodic plasma structures. The plasma structure…